


Genesis

by anothermiracle



Series: Chi'Shin Archives [1]
Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 14:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6858778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothermiracle/pseuds/anothermiracle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>She’s of legal age, thank heavens,</em> he notes with contentment. Then proceeds to bash his head against the wall next to them, startling the poor girl.</p><p>An Origin story between the Earth Kingdom's beloved general and his darling wife.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Genesis

**ooooo**

The first time she sees him, she is nine. 

She runs through the city town square, myriads of colours flashing in her vision. The Earth Tribe has just returned from a victorious battle against one of the Kai Empire’s armies. The town gathers along the path leading up to Chi’Shin Palace to welcome the men home. 

She struggles through the mass of people, an attempt to get up close to the action. Eventually, she reaches the edge of the crowd and is greeted with an unobstructed view of the comrades-in-arms.

Like the majority of the other soldiers, he passes through the town riding on horseback. He is drenched in sweat, covered in heavy armor from head-to-toe, and brimming with glee. Unable to contain his excitement, he lets out a tremendous cry, causing the entire contingent to respond with equal fervor. He laughs a hearty laugh, and for a moment his eyes meet a petite child’s. He smirks at her and rides past, the little girl’s sparkling orbs of admiration taking residence in the recesses of his memory. 

She will remember that moment for years to come.

**ooooo**

The second time she sees him, she is thirteen.

As per the tradition of her family, a girl’s coming-of-age deems her ready to begin her training as a lady-in-waiting. Such was the fate of her elder sister, her mother, her grandmother, and beyond. So she packs her bags, eats all the sweets she wants for the last time, and heads to Chi’Shin Castle in a carriage, accompanied by her father. 

She looks out of the window as they enter through the palace gates. She sees esteemed men of the Royal Court in deep discussion under a pavilion and noble ladies prancing about, their attendants trailing behind them like chicks to mother hens. For a moment, she entertains the idea of a life different than that of the castle’s, but dismisses it as the carriage comes to a complete stop.

The door opens, and a hand awaits her. She grasps it and steps out. Unsurprisingly, she does not feel any different and merely moves to follow her father and a few castle staff. She briefly obsesses over how incredibly anticlimactic the whole ordeal is.  _So this shall be my destiny; filling the shoes of those who have gone before me, she muses._

They direct her through the palace, orientating her and allowing her to familiarize herself with palace proceedings. She nods perceptibly and attempts to master the skill of walking and falling asleep at the same time. They walk down an empty hallway before turning a sharp corner she nearly misses. In her hurry to catch up with the rest, she does not notice the relatively larger form walking into her path. 

“Oof, watch where you’re going, little girl,” a deep voice resounds.

She lifts her head and is star struck. Before her stands the very man whose outcry of victory has resonated in her for years since that defining day four years ago. 

General Geun-Tae, with his hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and scruff on his chin, looks down at her and his eyes soften. This well-dressed girl cannot be more than twelve, yet here she was, being trained to be trapped within the four walls of the castle. He sighs a little, before stepping out of her way. To his surprise, she does not move. He is about to bend down and inquire her well-being when she suddenly shoots up to face him, little bounces invading her steps towards him.

“You’re General Geun-Tae, aren’t you?” She almost cries, her hands going up to cover her mouth. “I can’t believe I got to meet you! And on my first day too! The heavens must be on my side today!”

Her flushed ears peek out from beneath her fingers and her eyes are squinted in unadulterated joy. The older man is no stranger to fervent fans, but watching an innocent child, about to be forced to face the harsh realities of the working world at a tender age, lighting up like this, warms his heart. He smiles serenely at her and nods an affirmative. Patting her head, he motions towards her waiting father, before walking off in the opposite direction.

Her gaze trails after him, albeit glazed over. As soon as he disappears around the corner, she turns and walks towards her father, a skip in her step. All of a sudden, her destiny does not seem as bleak as it was before.

**ooooo**

The third time she sees him, she is sixteen.

When a girl turns sixteen in the palace, she is offered a tiny, shallow saucer of sake. Granted, this ritual pays no heed to the legal drinking age legitimized by the court, but the palace staff are given allowances to a certain extent, so as long as everything is done responsibly and as quietly as possible. 

Unfortunately, her birthday is not one of those times.

She ends up, face flaming and eyes drooping, stumbling her way from the kitchen to her quarters. The guard that was assigned to accompany her there has disappeared. The last time she saw him, he was sneaking to a dark corner with someone who seems suspiciously like Ming-En, another lady-in-waiting-to-be. Her eyebrows furrow at the thought; she’ll need to talk to the girl later. Her head spins. _Perhaps tomorrow._ And she slips to the ground, body passed out in the middle of the hallway.

He is exhausted from the meeting with the five generals. King Il was as happy-go-lucky as ever, a frustrating trait and one General Geun-Tae has a low tolerance for. He walks through the halls, General Joo-Doh by his side. His junior is currently debating loudly about some political matter that he cannot bring himself to care about, and thus patronizes him by nodding and giving occasional grunts in reply. They turn the corner, and are greeted by the sight of an incredibly beautiful, incredibly young girl lying most certainly not-so-beautifully on the cold hard floor. Joo-Doh expresses his disapproval with a huff. 

“What on earth is a girl like this lying out in the open, at the mercy of anyone who walks past?” Joo-Doh mutters, disapprobation evident in his voice. 

Geun-Tae shrugs, squatting down in front of the girl. He reaches out and grabs her shoulder gently, attempting to shake her awake. She opens her eyes slightly.

“Oei, girl. You shouldn’t be sleeping here. Why aren’t you in your quarters?” He asks.

She sits up, her body wavering a little. One hand goes up to rub her left eye. “…General Geun-Tae? What are you doing in my room?”

The rugged brunette almost stumbles to the ground. “Oei, open your eyes and look where you are. This isn’t your room.”

Her hand falls from her eye, and she turns her head side to side. 

“…You’re right.”

“Took you long enough.”

She attempts to stand. 

“…I can’t feel my legs.”

“Well, I can see why, considering you’ve been kneeling like that as you slept,” the man chuckles. The girl is obviously drunk. _Probably for the first time too,_ he suspects. _Where on earth is her escort?_ His eyebrows furrow and he looks around. He returns his gaze to the girl.

“Hey, he-don’t fall asleep dammit! Where’s your escort?” He demands.

“…snuck out with Ming-En… Need to talk to her… tomorrow,” she yawns, eyes closing. Not long after, tiny snores leave her lips.

Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair. At the corner of his eye, he sees his comrade stifling giggles. He can feel his forehead throbbing. 

“And what, may I ask, is so funny, General Joo-Doh?”

The younger general almost bursts out in full-blown laughter. “I-it’s just that-I never would have t-thought that a girl could fall asleep in your presence. You, who’s always talking about your good looks and debonair personality, got ignored by a girl!”

The throbbing in his temple increases in intensity. “Yea, well, you’re not any better. Need I remind you that your presence is as potent as mine, yet the girl sleeps?” He deadpans. “If you know what’s good for you, I suggest you help me make sure no one comes along this path, because I’ll be carrying her back to her quarters.”

“Alright, alright,” Joo-Doh backs down, albeit still amused by the whole ordeal. He stalks off, his body still poised in mirth, as he eventually turns the corner at the end of the long hallway.

Geun-Tae faces the girl once more. She seems to be sleeping quite soundly despite her awkward position. The smile on her face reveals the pleasant doze she is having, and he cannot help giving one as well. He sinks down and proceeds to put his arms under her head and knees, before getting up and tucking her to his chest. She snuggles in his embrace, seemingly more comfortable than before. He wants to laugh at how defenseless this girl is, but is enamored by the curve of her lip and the light chestnut shade of her hair. Unconsciously, he tucks her closer. 

The snoozing lady is unaware, busy constructing a castle of her own in her dreams. It is filled with warm arms and gentle voices. Dreamland ushers her in with a slight brush of her hair behind her ear and a soft “goodnight.” She sighs happily.

**ooooo**

The fourth time she sees him, she is eighteen.

She walks through the corridor, balancing a tray of sweets and a pot of tea in her hands. It hasn’t been long since she passed her final examination to become a full-blown lady-in-waiting, but the responsibilities that she is burdened with are too many to count. Noblewoman Yen has high expectations for her, seeing as to she scored the highest in the many tests she had undergone upon completing her training. As such, she is rarely seen with nothing to do, although she does not complain. The job is rather fulfilling; if one squints her eyes and looks closer, she presumes.

Ladies-in-waiting are issued a set of robes, and the one she dons may be a size too big for her. However, she lacks time to get it altered and spends most of her time trying – rather successfully, if she may add – to get her bearings and keep herself from tripping. Regrettably, these attempts do face failure from time to time, and she finds herself sprawled on the floor alongside the teapot and the platter of sweets. Tea seeps into the ground and dread creeps into her heart as she feels tears prickling the corners of her eyes.

Nevertheless, she kneels demurely and begins to pick up the fallen goodies. She gathers them on the tray, picking each one by one, whilst doing her best to keep the embarrassed flush from her face. As she moves to retrieve the teapot, a hand lands over its handle and holds it out toward her. She looks up, and horror contorts her face.

“G-G-General G-Geun-Tae!” She exclaims, her knuckles going white from the grip she has on her tray. The said gentleman seems unperturbed, merely gazing at her through unreadable eyes whilst dangling the teapot with one finger. He raises an eyebrow and glances toward the porcelain object. She sheepishly sets the tray down and holds out her hands to receive it. He lowers it onto her fingers, but seems to make a rash decision to change his mind and pulls it out of her grasp once more. She looks up curiously.

Geun-Tae frowns down at the girl. Unbeknownst to her, after their encounter along this same hallway two years ago, he has been watching her. _Watching_ her may be pushing it, but it seems that every time he catches a glimpse of her dark blonde hair, his eyes naturally chase after her. Recently, he finds that the girl has been needlessly pushing herself beyond her limits. He worries over the gradual paling of her face each time she walks within his peripheral vision, and the lacklustre manner she converses with her peers whenever he gets the chance to walk past the kitchens. He learns about the fact that she is overloaded with duties from the head of the ladies-in-waiting, whom he is amiable with and speaks to regularly. 

Now, she kneels before his squatted form, chewing her lips and cheeks flushed. His heart goes out to her as a fellow resident of the palace, and he admires her for doing her best despite her young age. Speaking of age, she doesn’t look any older than fifteen and almost kicks himself for being drawn to the way her eyelashes curl and frames her amber eyes. But then, he remembers that she has completed her training, which should only be so when she reaches… eighteen? 

“How old are you?” He blurts, before mentally berating himself for asking a lady something so rude. 

Her attention returns to him, her expression betraying the shock she feels at the esteemed general making conversation with her. “Eighteen, my lord.”

His heart practically soars. _She’s of legal age, thank heavens,_ he notes with contentment. Then proceeds to bash his head against the wall next to them, startling the poor girl.

“Are you alright?!” 

“Y-yea, I’m fine,” he mutters, his face heating up. He coughs a little. He hands the teapot to her, for lack of anything better to do. She accepts it from him, but does not make any move to get up. 

He glances at her, and is surprised to see a rather purposeful light in her eyes.

“Pardon me for being rude,” she begins. “I’m not sure if you recall, but along this hallway two years ago, you helped a drunk girl return to her room. Does that ring any bells?”

He swallows, and nods.

She blinks. “Oh, well, that person was me,” her voice softens, and she looks up at him shyly. He feels his mouth go dry.

“Thank you for seeing to my well-being that night, General,” she bows her head ever so slightly. 

He holds back a grin. “Well, it was pretty irresponsible of you to walk around drunk in the first place,” he grunts. “What on earth possessed you to do such a thing?”

Her face flushes prettily and her eyes flash with mild indignation. “It was a moment of folly, General Geun-Tae. I would appreciate it if you could overlook it. I assure you, it will not happen again.”

The man lets out a garish guffaw. “Do not mistake me, dear girl. I am merely expressing concern. I apologize for my rudeness.”

“Well,” she huffs. “Your words have certainly changed my impression of you. To think I’d thought you were the perfect gentleman!”

This sparks a slight annoyance in Geun-Tae, and he shoots back, “You aren’t the prim and proper lady I’d thought you’d be if you had been sober either.”

“Of course I’m not,” she argues. “It takes more than ‘prim and proper’ to get to where I am today, thank you very much.”

“I’m sure, considering how spirited you are,” he sneers, though good-heartedly as he acknowledges the truth in her words.

“I’m glad you know that,” she sniffs. “And on that note, I think I have overstayed my welcome in this hallway once more; to which I say to you, Good day, my lord.” 

She picks herself up, tray and teapot in hand, and embarks on the journey back to Noblewoman Yen’s quarters. Before she takes no more than two steps, she is held back by a strong hand enclosing her shoulder. As she turns around, the hand immediately retracts itself and returns to the owner’s side. 

Geun-Tae is shocked to see her tears. He takes a step closer to her and bows. 

“Excuse my impolite conduct,” he raises his head, regret etched onto his features. “I did not mean to offend. My words escape me at times, especially in the presence of a beautiful lady such as yourself.”

His ears are burning, but he finds that he means every single word – regardless how unnatural they feel on his tongue.

Again, her face turns red; this time betraying the unexpected warmth she feels from his words. Through tears that had been shed out of anxiety and anger, she smiles up at him. They exchange pleasantries, before separating. She walks away from the scene, her heart beating a little faster, and her steps feeling a little lighter for the rest of the day.

**ooooo**

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel will be posted soon!


End file.
